


Serendipity

by Rose_of_Pollux



Series: Inktober for Writers, 2019 [27]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Napoleon is a show-off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 19:24:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21202811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: In which Napoleon is absolutely Extra, and it somehow ends up making the mission easier.





	Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by today's Inktopber prompt ("coat").

It wasn’t as though Illya minded Napoleon’s flair for the dramatic. If anything, he found it endearing; Napoleon’s _joie de vivre_ was catching, and it was impossible to be around Napoleon and not end up feeling a similar zest.

But Illya knew that he had a sworn duty to keep Napoleon’s feet firmly on the ground and prevent his ego from getting too much of a boost. And that was why Illya forced himself to keep a neutral expression when he saw Napoleon posing dramatically on top of the roof of a warehouse, framed with the moon behind him, wearing a longcoat that was being whipped around dramatically by the night breeze.

Illya soon joined him on the warehouse roof, shaking his head.

“Are you not impressed?” Napoleon asked, posing grandly with his arm extended.

“I am not surprised,” Illya replied, ducking the question completely. “All that is missing is you quoting Shakespeare.”

“Well, since you asked…” Napoleon mused. “‘_To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there’s the rub_…’”

“Forget I mentioned it,” Illya said. He winced as the breeze increased, and he struggled to maintain his balance on the roof. He cast a concerned glace at Napoleon; the longcoat definitely kept catching in the wind, buffeting Napoleon around more than Illya. “Perhaps you should take that off?”

“And lose my aesthetic?”

“I should think that would be preferable to falling off of the roof,” Illya chided. “Don’t forget, we are expecting a THRUSH courier to come out of one of these warehouses with vital information that we need to intercept!”

“I am aware of that,” Napoleon said, turning with a dramatic _swish_ of the longcoat, prompting Illya to roll his own eyes as he saw the mischievous twinkle sparkling in Napoleon’s eyes.

“I suppose it is a good thing that you enjoy our work as much as you do,” he said, giving him an unreadable look.

“Oh, yes, I certainly do. And there is an element of practicality in my choice of dress,” Napoleon added.

“Is there?” Illya asked, in disbelief. “What is it—disorient THRUSHies by making them stop long enough to question what you’re doing?”

Before Napoleon could answer, several things began to happen at once. An even fiercer wind whipped up, this one catching the longcoat fully and whipping it off of Napoleon before he could fasten it. As this was going on, the door of the warehouse they were standing on opened, revealing the THRUSH courier they were supposed to bring in, running for it.

Napoleon first made a grab for the flying coat, but abandoned the effort as he saw the fleeing THRUSHie. But even as he and Illya both aimed their Specials at the THRUSHie, Napoleon’s runaway longcoat landed right on the man, tripping him up and causing him to crash into the wall of another warehouse, knocking him out.

Napoleon and Illya both paused to register what had just happened, and Napoleon then turned to Illya with a gigantic grin on his face.

“I meant to do that.”

Illya’s response was a deadpan look of disbelief.

“Mm-hmm…” he hummed, in a tone that stated he didn’t believe a word of it.

Napoleon shrugged and gracefully climbed down the warehouse wall to head over to their newly-captured prisoner. And Illya sighed, following suit.

This was going to be a hard one to chide him over—it was, after all, rather difficult to argue with success. But, rest assured, if there was one person who could, it would be Illya Kuryakin. After all, being Napoleon’s partner, he had plenty of practice at it.


End file.
